Hello, I'm new to the forum.

I'm 14 and currently have a Savage 110 7mm RM. It's outfitted with an old Redfield Tracker 3x9x40. Some people at the Accuratereloading forum sent me reloading stuff, so I'll be able to start pretty soon. I know my scope right now isn't the best for longer ranges, but what would be? I'd like a scope that's good for longer ranges (possibly a 4.5x14?) but doesn't cost a ton of money as I'm saving for a truck too. I'm located in Missouri, so I can have LONG field shots available or short range brush shots. (I'm gonna get a Marlin 1895g sometime for that) What are some good and safe longer range handloads for 7mm RM? I've been thinking about a 120 grain TSX, but I don't know where to get loading data for it since it is new. Thanks for any replies.

Welcome to the forum! THis is a great place to gather tons of great information. If I was loading for a 7 RM for deer, I would go with a 140g weight of some sort, preferably a nosler ballistic tip, or accubond. Barnes are kinda tricky to get to shoot. Noslers are usually one of your more accurate hunting bullets. The 150g nosler ballistic tip would also be a great performer on deer. As far as scopes, it depends on how far exactly your wanting to shoot. If your only wanting to shoot out to 500 yards or so, a BDC scope would be perfectly fine. If you plan to shoot farther, a more precise way is to "dial up" your clicks. You need a couple pieces of equipment to get this to work. You need a cronograph to know velocity, all your ballistic data, and you need a rangefinder. A windmeter also comes in handy. I personally am a Leupold fan and like the 6-18x40 target/fine duplex. You can get it for about $450. Its a great scope that is very bright crisp and clear, works great mechanically, has the magnification to cover close and far.

First off, welcome to LRH!! There is a ton of info on this site and alot of knowledgable people on this board that are willing to share some of that knowledge.

Take it from me on bullet selection, go heavy if you can stand the recoil. While the lighter bullets are faster and maybe sexier on paper, it is the ballistic coefficient (bc) that is king @ longer ranges. I learned this the hard way(or hard headed way). When I found this forum, I was shooting the 30 cal 125 gr Nosler @ 3940 fps and thought I had the best load in the country for longrange work. After absorbing some info from the folks around here I learned a little different. I'm now shooting a 240 gr bullet out of that gun!!

PS- When you get ready for a scope, shoot me an email. I can make you a good deal on a 4.5-14 Nikon Buckmaster. That would be a good scope for you to cut your teeth on.

What does BDC stand for? I'm guessing some kind of ballistic reticle? I think 500 yards would be a long ways, even though we have fields that stretch a lot further. I generally hunt with my grandpa, he hates long shots. I have a bipod now, not the best in the world, but it works ok. Around here we only have a 100 yard range, and I know that isn't good enough. Down at my grandpa's theres a gun club that goes to 550 that would be nice to practice at. I think I might ask for a rangefinder for christmas, what are some good models?

I don't really want something that blows up like the ballistic tip, too much meat damage, and my grandpa already thinks I shoulda got a ".243 instead of that dumb 7mm cannon thing." The accubonds hold together good don't they? They also aren't that expensive and have a good BC. Sounds like a winner to me. If heavier is better, should I go with the 160 grain?

BDC stands for bullet drop compensator. It usually has aiming points or hash marks intended for a certain range with several differnet caliber/bullet combos. The first that comes to mind is burris bal plex. Sounds like you might want one of these if you think 500 yards is a ways. But let me tell you this, long range shooting is very addicting, once you get to 500, you'll want to go farther. You could use the 160g AB and that would fly for a ways, has a high BC, holds up well. I have a nikon 800 that ranges pretty well to 800 yards on overcasty days. On bright sunny days over wheatfields, its hard to get readings on coyotes past about 450-500. Mine cost around $350. ITs not the best, but it has served me well for a couple years. A bipod is a great investment. IT allows a pretty stable platform when laying prone. Long range shooting is all about practice. Try to practice at the max distance you think you'll be shooting at game, or practice farther, that way when a deer shows up at 400-500, its a cake shot. WInd is your worst enemy for long range shooting. Thats why its best to use a heavier bullet with a higher BC. Light bullets with low BC's start to drop and drift a considerable amount. If I was going to load for a 7 mag with 160's, I would go with IMR 7828 or H1000. Good velocity and good accuracy.

The scope you have and gun you have will do fine out to 500yds. The 140 gr Accubonds are a good choice for whitetail deer if you can afford them and will do fine out to 500 yds. For those ranges they will be better than the 160's.

2. Set the gun up to shoot 2" at 100. That should put you about right on at 250 or so.

3. Email redfield and ask for the dimensions of the crosshair and duplex top and bottom for your model scope. Or you can use a yardstick at 100 to measure exactly the distance between the cross hair and the pointy top of the bottom duplex. I am guessing somewhere around 6-9" at 9x. Once you know that distance, and what load you are using, someone with a ballistics program can get you pretty close to where your POI will be at the top of the bottom duplex.

4. That should give you bullet path distances to somewhere around 450-550 yards or so with a 7 rem mag and 140s at 3000 fps. Practice with some paper targets at distances will quickly confirm your exact drops. Put them on piece of tape on side of scope and practice on some water filled milk jugs at distances will quickly give you some confidence.

Where in MO are you? Grew up in Brunswick and deer hunt there 10 days every year.

Welcome aboard!Find out how fast you are running which ever bullet you decide on and email me I will run it on some of my ballistics programs not saying they are accurate but work pretty good for me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Well, there was some Federal Premium 150 Grain Solid Bases something's on sale for $9 a box. Vital Shock stuff is usually much more so I got 3 boxes, should keep me busy. The cheapo Core-Lokts shot under an inch at 100, I'm hoping the Federal's do 3/4" or better since I got 3 boxes. If they are real accurate I might not even mess with handloads loads for deer this year, everything is real busy going into highschool. I think it's 150 grain going at 3100 or 3150 fps.

The other thing you need to do is practice you range estimation techniques. A range finder is a luxury not a neccesity for distances to about 500yds. After that things get a little tricky.

Go to a football field and pace off several times a hundred yards walking "normally". I count on a right foot step and my pace stays right at 55 per hundred yards. I use this information for bowhunting a lot. Uphill is different and going around sleeping skunks will also affect your pace count.
Once you know your pace and have memorized what a hundred yards looks like, then you are ready to practice.

Practice is best done when you are just goofing around. Find an object that is out there at a good distance and estimate where each hundred yard increment will be and what the final range to the object is and then start pacing and counting to see how close your eyeball estimate is. With practice you can get very very accurate to about 300 yds and then eyeball accuracy will degrade. Hardest to estimate is over open air. When you are on a ridge and the object is on another ridge you have no visual clues such as size of a tree or rock to get your increments estimated correctly. Without being able to count off each separate hundred yards to an object the final estimate will be significantly off.

By following Bounty Hunters advice you may be able to use your duplex reticle for range finding but we can discuss that technique once you do the measurement.

I am in total agreement with BH, and BB on this. That plex reticle u have there is one of the best entry level ballistic and rangefinding reticles going, and will get u to intermediate ranges just as effectively as any ballistic reticle out there really. These days if you're 14 y.o. u probably have more math knowledge than most on this board (especially me). Once u find out what that reticle subtension measurement is (that BH mentioned) u can easily apply a "tactical-type" system with it for downrange trajectory (both elevation and windage) and rangefinding, by applying simple mathematical formulas, and ballistic programs. Once u learn to apply these systems in the field it will blow your mind (and your buddy's) watching 500 yd. milk jugs blow up with a good degree of consistency from the 1st shot on, believe me. IMO, intermediate-range shooting (beyond point blank range), is more relearning optics applications than anything else. Get out to that 550 yd. range close to your grandfather-- in a way that'll become your research laboratory.

This forum is a great place to further your knowledge-base on this topic. A world of info at your finger tips--literally.

Oh yeah, and when u ask people for help on shooting-related matters, tactfully slip in how old u r (just like u did here)-- most shooters r pushovers when it comes to helping kids get started in their favorite pasttime.

What brand is the 150g bullet you are pushing 3100 fps? You can take much guess work out of shooting with where you have your zero especially with a flat shooting rifle... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Tyler, Im 20 and started reloading and getting into longer range shooting right around 14-15. I started with a 25-06 and a 3-9 leupold. I practiced on milk jugs at 300 yards. When I got good, consistently hitting them, I moved out to 400, etc. Now I practice at 500 and 800 pretty regularly. Its great to see youngsters get into this sport. I am glad I did. I have learned so much great information from a lot of great shooters. The best thing about this place is that were all interested in the same thing, long range shooting. That means no one will put you down for taking a long shot if you think you have the confidence to do so. Anywhere else on the internet you speak of shooting past 300 yards, your going to have an all out war. Just remember knowledge is power and the more you know about this sport, the farther you want to shoot.

About us

My family and I welcome you. I started LRH back in 2001 to provide a friendly place where like-minded individuals could share information and ideas to help take their long range shooting and hunting to the next level.